PUBLIC HEALTH MICROBIOLOGIST SPECIALIST
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About The Position
This position supports the California Department of Public Health's (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by ensuring quality and providing timely and complex public health laboratory testing for diagnosis and epidemiologic investigation of tuberculosis, other mycobacterial infections, and fungal and parasitic diseases of great public health importance in the State of California. The Public Health Microbiologist (PHM) Specialist organizes and performs the advanced, complex, and/or innovative testing and analyses that require independent action and judgment. The PHM Specialist works independently, with general guidance, to evaluate, validate, implement, and utilize sophisticated instrumentation, complex laboratory methods, and advance specialized software to detect, isolate, and identify microbial pathogens and genetic markers in a variety of clinical specimens and to perform comprehensive phenotypic and molecular characterization of antimicrobial drug susceptibility. The PHM Specialist provides technical expertise performing highly complex laboratory testing for a range of mycobacterial, fungal, and parasitic pathogens, including but not limited to drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, species identification, and epidemiological strain typing and phylogenetic analysis. The PHM Specialist reviews clinical and epidemiological reports, and updates laboratory and data analysis procedures, as necessary. The PHM Specialist is responsible for ensuring compliance with relevant federal, state and local regulatory quality and safety standards governing the breadth of work conducted in the Section. The PHM Specialist may be delegated Technical Supervision and/or General Supervision over non-waived, high-complexity testing as defined by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). The individual mentors and trains entry-level laboratory staff internally and may provide consultation to Local, State, and Federal partners. In the PHM Specialist role, the incumbent develops innovative laboratory methods, plans and implements validation studies, conducts applied public health-relevant research, analyzes and interprets complex laboratory data and draws conclusions, and prepares technical reports and papers for publication. This position requires the incumbent to maintain consistent and regular attendance, communicate effectively (orally and in writing) in dealing with the public and/or other employees, develop and maintain knowledge and skill related to specific tasks, methodologies, materials, tools, and equipment, complete assignments in a timely and efficient manner, and adhere to departmental policies and procedures.
